Rare earths miner NioCorp carves gains after $150 mln stock offering

** Shares of NioCorp Developments NB.O dip into negative territory, but remain up 3.4% at $10.74 premarket after it announces equity raise

** Centennial, Colorado-headquartered NioCorp announces pricing direct offering of ~16.1 mln shares at $9.34 for gross proceeds of about $150.2 mln

** Offering price represents about 10% discount to stock's last sale on Fri

** Co plans to use net offering proceeds for working capital, general corp purposes, including advance efforts to launch construction of the Elk Creek Project and move it to commercial operation

** Southeast Nebraska Elk Creek is expected to produce niobium, scandium, and titanium, a key material used for defense aerospace applications

** Co has ~101.57 mln shares outstanding as of Oct 9, per recent filing, for about $1.1 bln market cap through Fri

** NB shares had risen more than 15% before the bell as President Trump revives his trade war over China's expansion of export curbs on rare earth elements

** Shares rose 31% last week and have more than tripled over the last three months. Stock ended 2024 at $1.55